If that was actually the case then why would the majority of people be in majorly positive numbers?

I meant my comment in regards to negative reps. Regarding majority positive reps, I would think that would be because the content and quality of members here, regardless of the rating system, is very good. I also wouldn't ignore that there are benefits to having positive reps, right?

Very believable comparison .. I recently traded my 335i for a 2012 M3 and it feels very underwhelming stock.

Now I just have to figure out which supercharger to go in a sea of superchargers (and of course how to pay for the thing!).

The M3 does feel underwhelming stock however it is very deceiving. Like you, I came from a 335 (stock turbo 19psi, meth, LSD, coils) which made 413/446 RWHP/TQ. My M3 wasn't stock for long, but did make 365 RWHP so not that far off, although felt so much slower because it was down 200+ RWTQ. However when driven to it's limit it was not that much slower than the 335 in a straight line based on some VBox pulls on the same hot day and certainly faster on a track.

I would recommend NOT going with an entry level non-intercooled S/C's as the two that I ran against weren't any faster than my 335. (one DCT and one 6MT ESS 535 M3's). By comparison, I ran an ESS 625 M3 the same day as I ran Roman's ESS 535 6MT M3 and the difference was HUGE.

Very believable comparison .. I recently traded my 335i for a 2012 M3 and it feels very underwhelming stock.

Now I just have to figure out which supercharger to go in a sea of superchargers (and of course how to pay for the thing!).

You have to understand the differences of each, and how to drive each to enjoy it. Im assuming your M3 is stock? I prefer my Evolve tuned catless M3 to my FBO/RB 335 any day because of what i want and expect from a car. is one faster than the other, sure is. Which one do I thoroughly enjoy driving day in and day out. the M, hands down. which do I feel is like a special vehicle that few choose and even fewer know what it is.. the M. if all your looking for is instant tq and chirping the tires from every light, then the 335 is your game. if you want to feel like any road is your personal $#@!, the M

LM,
Very well put! I had a 2007 335xi sedan which I think was the first year of the famous N54. I had a SSTT and then went for a JB tune. The car was fun but it was nowhere close to an M! Just a year later I ended up leasing an 08 M3 as well so I had both cars for quite a bit of time with the M3 being fairly stock. The 335 may have been faster but it felt like a regular BMW whereas the M really feels like something special. Now keep in mind I had the 335 in auto and M3 in DCT which probably make it even more of a night and day difference. After driving a car with DCT, a regular automatic feels SO boring! I always love driving different cars however the M3 was such a perfect daily driver that less than a year after returning my 08 M3 lease and having a Carrera 4S and Continental GT, I was back in another M3...supercharged though .

The M3 is the best daily driver I've driven hands down. I would be interested I'm driving the new RS5 and upcoming AMGs with AWD (rear bias) and DCT. All of the AMGs and S5s I have driven have not impressed me at all. They didn't feel any more special than a regular BMW IMO. Maybe different if you are a 6spd kinda guy.

BigUp,
Make sure you do your HW on s/c kits and you are in a good community over here with a lot of unbiased info. There seems to be far too much BS in the FI BMW community than one would expect. If you are in the NJ area for any reason I insist you take my car for a spin! Try to drive the other kits as well and you'll have yourself a nice comparison. From my ownership of an Active Gen 1 Stage 2 kit, Gen 2 Stage 3 kit and having driven an ESS 625/650 kit, I can say I am 100% happy with my Gen 2 Stage 3 kit. It by far has the smoothest feel to it and is significantly faster than the Gen 1. I think you'll be very happy with any of the Gen 2 kits. I should have a nice review typed up in the next week or so.

Originally Posted by LostMarine

You have to understand the differences of each, and how to drive each to enjoy it. Im assuming your M3 is stock? I prefer my Evolve tuned catless M3 to my FBO/RB 335 any day because of what i want and expect from a car. is one faster than the other, sure is. Which one do I thoroughly enjoy driving day in and day out. the M, hands down. which do I feel is like a special vehicle that few choose and even fewer know what it is.. the M. if all your looking for is instant tq and chirping the tires from every light, then the 335 is your game. if you want to feel like any road is your personal $#@!, the M

The m is a different car, that's why my 335 is back to stock and I'll be picking one up soon. You can make any car fast but the balance, looks, high redline, and overall handling of the m are hard to match. I could have bought a supercharger and slapped it on the m then called it a day with all the money I was dumping into my 335....wish I bought the m from the beginning.

I refuse to drive a supercharged m right now, I want to enjoy mine NA and don't need that temptation!

I meant my comment in regards to negative reps. Regarding majority positive reps, I would think that would be because the content and quality of members here, regardless of the rating system, is very good. I also wouldn't ignore that there are benefits to having positive reps, right?

Yes and also keep in mind neg rep power is half of positive rep power. It's all slanted toward positive.

The M3 does feel underwhelming stock however it is very deceiving. Like you, I came from a 335 (stock turbo 19psi, meth, LSD, coils) which made 413/446 RWHP/TQ. My M3 wasn't stock for long, but did make 365 RWHP so not that far off, although felt so much slower because it was down 200+ RWTQ. However when driven to it's limit it was not that much slower than the 335 in a straight line based on some VBox pulls on the same hot day and certainly faster on a track.

I would recommend NOT going with an entry level non-intercooled S/C's as the two that I ran against weren't any faster than my 335. (one DCT and one 6MT ESS 535 M3's). By comparison, I ran an ESS 625 M3 the same day as I ran Roman's ESS 535 6MT M3 and the difference was HUGE.

The M3 isn't slower it just feel slower due to the power delivery. It's smooth and has no turbo kick or lag.

It's down to funds at the end of the day; I might only manage exhaust/tune this year.

Problem with N/A here in Calgary, is that we lose about 10-12% due to altitude; and going from a meth'd 335i to stock M3 is a big difference in straight line power. I knew this of course; I've had my share of run-ins with stock M3s before, and they never fared very well against my old car.

I am starting to appreciate the car in most other areas though; although kinda regret DCT; I miss clutch control. Hope to change my mind with more driving.

I only have experience with 2 tune only M3's, well, stock tuning, powerchip (if you call it a tune) and Evolve. Evolve tuned is what the car should feel like from the factory. I can promise you that you will love it. And should you choose evolve over AA s/c, A VERY hard choice BTW, you would already have tuning capability, well, i guess that's true if you went with either tune and followed suit to s/c.. For current situation, not much is known about the evolve kit, except it looks stunning, and thousands of hours of R&D are going into it, and the past experiences with their dedication and results over multiple platforms. Im willing to bet the Evolve S/C hits the US market in about 2 months from their updates, and its coming out swinging. The we can get a better grasp by the time your ready to purchase

AA has a great rep as well over multiple platforms, as well, and I know from first hand experience, AA's s/c daily driving characteristics were #1.

You cant go wrong with either as they are extremely similar, both A2A, both rotrex, and both very truthful in their representation.

Do you have an exhaust yet? do you drive in M mode/S6/MDM? I think if you did those, and never used automatic mode, you will love the car that much more..

Oh wow I haven't looked into the Evolve s/c kit much. For some reason I thought it was Vortech blower but I'm probably mixing them up with VF. Very cool if its another Rotrex kit! Makes me feel like there's something particularly good about this blower...

Oh wow I haven't looked into the Evolve s/c kit much. For some reason I thought it was Vortech blower but I'm probably mixing them up with VF. Very cool if its another Rotrex kit! Makes me feel like there's something particularly good about this blower...

Evolve started with the rotrex from initial concept. AA liked what they saw and provided it for the next stage as it provides better midrange (similar to the hks) and equal topend to the vortech. basically the best of both worlds, which is why i say they are very very similar. I know id have a hard time deciding between the 2 kits

Do you have an exhaust yet? do you drive in M mode/S6/MDM? I think if you did those, and never used automatic mode, you will love the car that much more..

No exhaust yet; not sure where to begin, I want something 'exotic' sounding but not crazy expensive; been reading a bit on the Gintani Race and seems like it could be a fit. We're having a local M meet in March, so I'll get a real-life listen to a few options.

I always drive M/S5/MDM (found the button and settings within about 2 minutes of driving the first time!).

Would a tune fix the throttle feel from a stop? I find I have to push a bit further down on the peddle than normal to get the car moving. M-mode improves, but it's not perfect.

No exhaust yet; not sure where to begin, I want something 'exotic' sounding but not crazy expensive; been reading a bit on the Gintani Race and seems like it could be a fit. We're having a local M meet in March, so I'll get a real-life listen to a few options.

I always drive M/S5/MDM (found the button and settings within about 2 minutes of driving the first time!).

Would a tune fix the throttle feel from a stop? I find I have to push a bit further down on the peddle than normal to get the car moving. M-mode improves, but it's not perfect.

I would like to have an answer to this question too. I HATE ... REPEAT... HATE the fact that they put start-stop assist on this car. This is what you are feeling. I badly wish that this can be turned off, and hope to God someone has figured this out. I don't need a car to help me start, I can manage all myself. It makes the engine feel much less responsive than it really is IMO. I came from an e46 M3, and the SMG logic handled this scenario (again, IMO) better. I was able to feather the throttle for the start I wanted - with no interference from the ECU. Other than this, it's an awesome transmission.

No exhaust yet; not sure where to begin, I want something 'exotic' sounding but not crazy expensive; been reading a bit on the Gintani Race and seems like it could be a fit. We're having a local M meet in March, so I'll get a real-life listen to a few options.

I always drive M/S5/MDM (found the button and settings within about 2 minutes of driving the first time!).

Would a tune fix the throttle feel from a stop? I find I have to push a bit further down on the peddle than normal to get the car moving. M-mode improves, but it's not perfect.

with no exhaust your missing out of a HUGE part of the driving experience. The rev-matched blips and exotic note are what really make me love driving this car. personally, im a bargain guy. so for about 1500-2k you can be badass.. as opposed to $5k for everything.
Evolve tune, Ebay catless x-pipe, and custom exhaust cut-outs. (my setup) The sounds and HP will be awesome! the valves when catless and closed sound like it should be factory, open those suckers up and its everything you will want. go watch some videos of mine.

As for the tune, YES. I can only say personally about Evolve, but yes. thats part of the equation i was referencing about how it should have came from BMW. Its night and day difference. for drive-ability alone the evolve tune is worth it. all the extra's are icing on the cake.

The Evolve tune looks great; might have to do that first. An exhaust or exhaust mods will be following close behind. I'd throw on some test pipes but don't really want to cut up my stock exhaust at this point.

I'm trying to stay on the bargain side too; far too many other things to pay for this year (as always!).

Evolve started with the rotrex from initial concept. AA liked what they saw and provided it for the next stage as it provides better midrange (similar to the hks) and equal topend to the vortech. basically the best of both worlds, which is why i say they are very very similar. I know id have a hard time deciding between the 2 kits

Ah nice thanks for the info. I am really looking forward to see what differences there will be between the two Rotrex powered kits. I know the Vortech is mostly top end and the HKS has a better mid range. With that being said, the Rotrex blows away the HKS throughout IMO. Nice move on AA's part as they would have been in trouble if they didn't switch over. Even better move on Evolve's part for using the Rotrex to begin with. I guess I owe Evolve a little bit for making my car the way it is today .

Really looking forward to your impressions. (Hopefully this week).

BigUp,
I currently have a Dinan mid (4 resonators no cats) and AA rear exhaust. I love the way it sounds and compared to some of my friends setups it is on the quieter side. Still, I am going to most likely be going for an Evolve valved exhaust. Just waiting for it to get on a local car so I can hear it. Been doing some reading and it appears to be one of the better valved setups. I'll let you know my impressions. If you want the best bang for your buck I'd listen to LM though

The Evolve tune looks great; might have to do that first. An exhaust or exhaust mods will be following close behind. I'd throw on some test pipes but don't really want to cut up my stock exhaust at this point.

I'm trying to stay on the bargain side too; far too many other things to pay for this year (as always!).

I paid $450 for my resonated catless x pipe btw, and 500 for the valves installed.